The Curse of Jealousy
by EmeraldandAmethyst
Summary: Tensions rise when Akira and his friend, Haruka, are rumored to be on a date. Shirogane and Kou won't just sit by and let the objects of their affections get out of their grasp that easily will they? (Kou/Haruka, Shirogane/Akira, slight Akira/Haruka, Yaoi/Shounen-ai, Shota, Multi-chapter.)
1. Chapter 1

**Uncreative title is uncreative. I'm not that great at coming up with titles for my stories, so sorry about that. ^-^;; Anyway, this is sort of a work in progress. The idea suddenly came to my mind to make Shirogane and Kou jealous of Akira and Haruka's close friendship. I like to call them the Possessive Semes. XD Okay, onto the story and I hope you enjoy!**

**Series: Monochrome Factor.**

**Pairing(s): Kou x Haruka, Shirogane x Akira, and partially Akira x Haruka.**

**Warnings: Yaoi/Shounen-ai (Boy x Boy) and Shota (an older man with a young boy).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Monochrome Factor or any of the characters. They all belong to their rightful owners. If I did own Monochrome Factor, there would have been more moments between Kou and Haruka.**

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><p>(The workings of disbelief were happening inside the local hang out, Bar Still...)<p>

"This is unacceptable, Shirogane!" Kou exclaimed, slamming his hands down on the table. "How are you so calm about this?"

The Shin mentioned closed his eyes and rubbed at his temple, sighing. "I'm just as unnerved by this as you are. But, what is there for us to do?"

This current situation was a first for Kou, the almighty pervert, and for Shirogane, the gorgeous white-haired shadow. The thing that caused the pair to become distressed is all because of two certain boys. Teenager Akira Nikaido and his younger friend Haruka Kujo have been really close as of late. Almost too close, from the perspectives of Kou and Shirogane.

"I can't believe this has happened! How could this-!" Kou continued on with his hysterical rambling, while Shirogane wanted him to try and calm down. "Did you ever think this was going to happen?" Kou asked, turning his attention to the other man who was sitting down at the bar.

"No, not at all." Shirogane responded, adjusting his black hat and his eyebrows knit in deep thought.

To get straight to the point of the men's distress: Akira and Haruka went out on a supposed date.

"How could Aki take my beautiful Haru away from me like that? Shirogane, you should have controlled your lover!" Kou looked stern, but a pout sounded in his voice.

"As much as I would love to call Akira-kun my lover, he's not. Besides, we weren't expecting them to go on a date, so there's no way we could have prevented it." Unlike Kou, Shirogane was remaining calm and relaxed about all of this. Or rather he was forcing himself to do it. "What I can't figure out is when they developed romantic feelings for each other."

"Oh, hell no. I will not accept the idea that Haru is in love with Aki." Kou crossed his arms together, showing that he was completely against the thought of Haruka and Akira being in love.

Shirogane couldn't help but smile a little at the childish act of a twenty-five year old man being jealous of a teenage boy. "You've always had a problem with jealousy, Kou." The lean man said, as he got up from his seat and turned around to face the only other in the room. "There could also be the possibility that Akira-kun and Haruka-kun _didn't_ go on a date."

"I doubt it. They sure as hell looked like one of those young couples who are so happy to be together." Kou said, already being negative.

Shirogane rested his clasped hands in front of his stomach and asked, "Do you know for sure?" The Shin was clinging to some hope that Kou could be wrong about the close friends going out on a lover's date.

"I'm positive. I saw the two of them eating ice cream and then when Haru got some of it on his cheek, Aki cleaned it off for him." Kou responded, seeming to be in denial about seeing that.

Shirogane raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Well, that seems like something normal friends would do for each other."

"You don't understand!" Kou replied immediately. "The way that they were looking at each other, they seemed like a real couple. Aki was smiling and Haru was giggling..." Kou trailed off, leaning back against the wall. "Oh, Haru looked so cute when he was giggling." The man said, a desperation in voice that secretly indicated he really loved hearing Haruka laugh, but wished it was with him instead of Akira.

"And it gets worse." Kou added in before Shirogane had the chance to question him again. The man took a deep breath, feeling that his next sentence was incredibly difficult to say. "They were holding hands..."

Shirogane's last sliver of hope was blown away by the winds of grief. The shadow felt as if he wanted to collapse to the ground, like in one of those over-dramatic soap operas. Bringing a gloved hand up to his mouth, Shirogane let out a slow sigh. "I guess they really are together." He then fell back into his seat and stared down at the ground. "It's over now, isn't it?"

Kou looked at his sad white-haired companion and got a serious, almost determined, expression on his face. "No. We can't give up this easily."

Shirogane turned his attention to Kou, a bit surprised at the man's sudden change in attitude. "What do you mean?"

"We should find out what Aki and Haru's relationship is really like; how they really feel. There might still be a chance for us to get what we want." Kou's serious look turned into a more cunning one and a smile started forming on his face.

The Shin's eyes narrowed slightly and he couldn't stop his questioning gaze. "I hope you're not planning what I think you are." Shirogane knew that whatever Kou's smile meant, it couldn't be good.

Kou grinned, glancing at Shirogane and put an unlit cigarette in his mouth, keeping his usual sly exterior in place. "I say that we go follow them on their date."

Shaking his head, Shirogane let out yet another sigh. "I should have known it would come down to this."

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><p><strong>What do you think for a first chapter? I'm still not fully sure yet where I'm going with this story, but I have a few ideas and I'll work on where to take it from here. :) If you think I should continue or have any suggestions for things you'd like to see, I would love to hear them. Feedback is appreciated and thanks for reading! Ciao! ^o^<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the late update on this story. ^_^;; I mentioned in one of my other fanfics that my family's main computer has this huge virus that causes it to randomly shut down after half an hour or so and that's why it's been taking me a long time to update. It's still the reason why. -_- But, once we get the compyter fixed (hopefully soon), I will be able to write more chapters for my current stories and post them sooner, as well. Anyway, onto chapter two and I hope you enjoy it. :)**

**Series: Monochrome Factor**

**Pairings: Kou x Haruka, Shirogane x Akira, and partial Akira x Haruka**

**Warnings: Yaoi/Shounen-ai (Boy x Boy relationships) and Shota (an older man with a young boy)**

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><p>The two men casually walked slowly together, making sure to keep a good distance between them and the pair ahead. Because of Kou's brilliant idea, he and Shirogane were secretly following Akira and Haruka on their little date. The Shin was hesitant at first, but after giving in to Kou's "puppy eyes" and his consistent begging, he went along with the plan.<p>

"Are you sure we should be doing this? I feel like we're doing something wrong." Shirogane said, continuing to look and make sure Akira and Haruka couldn't see them.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Kou waved his hand dismissively and stared off at the two young friends who just stopped to get some drinks from a vendor.

"But, what if we get caught?" Shirogane questioned. The man knew that Kou had clever ideas, but there was always one key thing he would end up forgetting to think about.

"That won't happen as long as we stay quiet and keep a safe distance away from them. Plus, we have these amazing disguises." Kou grinned, the silver aviator sunglasses he was wearing shimmering in the sunlight and used his fingers to twirl the tip of his fake black mustache.

"I'd say our disguises are far amazing…" Shirogane trailed off, fixing the white mustache he had on and his nerd-like glasses. "This is completely stupid. They'll know it's us for sure."

"Stop complaining, Shirogane. We're here for a reason and I'll be damned if we don't succeed." Kou looked at Shirogane somewhat sternly, but his disguise was making it hard to take him seriously at all.

"I'm sorry, Kou, but you look like a pedophile." Shirogane let out a chuckle, fully amused at Kou's new look.

The other glared at the white-haired man, unseen because of the sunglasses over his eyes, and tried to shrug off the Shin's comment.

"Not that you already aren't one." Shirogane mumbled quietly, but Kou still heard it.

The Rei pulled his sunglasses down to the bridge of his nose and narrowed his eyes. "What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing." Shirogane turned his head away from Kou, pretending that he hadn't said anything and to change the subject. "Anyway," The shadow began, "shouldn't we at least have a back-up plan in case this one goes wrong?"

By the time Shirogane finished his sentence, Kou had already walked ahead of the worried man and was ignoring the other's concerns, feeling confident in himself. "Why do I even bother to ask questions?" Shirogane shook his head and followed after the all-but-too-cheerful Kou.

(Akira and Haruka's POV)

Akira stopped walking and glanced behind him for a second, catching the attention of his younger friend. Haruka looked at the elder of the two, blueberry smoothie in hand, and tilted his head to the side a bit.

"Akira, is something wrong?" The boy asked, wondering what caused Akira to stop all of a sudden.

"Sorry, it's nothing. I just felt like someone was watching me." Akira said, looking back once more. The teen didn't see anyone, so he decided it was nothing and turned back to Haruka. "Do you want to go to the park over there?" Akira questioned, gesturing to a small grassy area a little further away. Haruka nodded his response and both of them went on with their walking.

(Shirogane and Kou POV)

Shirogane and Kou were hiding behind the wall of a building, their eyes widened and holding their breath.

"That...was way too close." Kou finally said, clutching onto his chest and letting out a sigh.

Shirogane sighed as well out of relief. "Do you see why I was concerned about getting caught?" The white-haired man asked to his companion.

"We were _close_ to getting caught. But, luckily, we didn't." Kou said as he pushed himself off the wall and checked around the corner to see where the two boys were. "Let's get going, shall we?"

Shirogane exhaled again. "Alright, fine. If we do get caught, I'm telling them it was all your idea." The shadow warned and brushed some dirt off his coat that got on him from the brick wall of the building.

"Oh, you wouldn't do something cruel like that to me, Shirogane." Kou laughed and honestly thought he was joking.

"Yes, I would." Shirogane simply stated, causing Kou to gasp.

"Hey! That's not a nice thing to do to your friend!" Kou pouted, but immediately perked up again. "Alright, let's just focus on our goal." Kou kept his gaze on Akira and Haruka, watching to see what they were going to do next.

"It looks like the two of them are going to the park over there." Shirogane commented and picked up his pace when Kou quickly ran behind the vendor where Akira and Haruka had previously gotten their drinks from.

"What is it?" He asked, confused about what Kou was doing.

"I'm trying to get a better view." Kou replied, keeping his indigo orbs on the figures of the close friends who were walking down a small grass-covered hill to find a place to sit.

Shirogane glanced at Akira and Haruka, then back to Kou. "You mean a better view of Haruka-kun?"

"No! I mean both Aki and Haru! Although," Kou started, quickly changing the topic, and shifting his eyes to Haruka, "I have to admit that Haru does look incredibly adorable."

"You can fawn over Haruka-kun later, let's just keep going." Shirogane said, grabbing onto Kou's arm and pulling him forward to continue with their little game of Cat and Mouse…

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><p><strong>I know this chapter wasn't that crack-filled, so sorry about that. But, I'll make sure to add a lot more crack in later chapters. ^w^ Oh, and I might have Shirogane and Kou's disguises become even crazier throughout the story, if I can think of some funny costumes. XD Again, if there's anything you would like to see happen (Akira x Haruka flirting, Shirogane and Kou acting like the jealous semes they are, etc.), just feel free to throw your ideas at me. I've already started on the third chapter, so I'm going to do my best and have it up sooner next time. But, we'll see how my bipolar computer reacts. _ Feedback is appreciated. Ciao! <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, again. Chapter three is up now, yay! I feel accomplished because I was able to submit this in a fairly short amount of time, despite my computer with it's mood swings. XD I did my best to add a bit more hilarity and crack in this chapter, but I guess that all depends on a person's level of what is considered crack or not. Maybe it's just more funny this time. Either way, I hope you'll enjoy! ^-^**

**Series: Monochrome Factor**

**Pairings: Kou x Haruka, Shirogane x Akira, and a dash of Akira x Haruka**

**Warnings: Yaoi/Shounen-ai (Boy x Boy relationships), Shota (an older man with a young boy), and attempts at crack**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Monochrome Factor or any of the characters. They all belong to their rightful owner(s).**

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><p>"I think I understand what you meant." Haruka said out of nowhere and catching the attention of Akira, who was sitting beside the kid graduate on the ground underneath a very large tree.<p>

"What are you talking about?" Akira pondered, not sure what his young friend was referring to.

"I feel like I'm being watched now." Haruka replied and fiddled with his gold earring, looking down at the grass in front of him.

Akira looked around warily, starting to wonder if they really were being followed by someone. A Kokuchi, maybe? Or just some creepy, perverted old guy?

For a split second, the teen could have sworn he saw a glimpse of someone that almost identically resembled Shirogane, but the person disappeared just as quickly as he noticed them.

"Maybe it's the heat making us a bit delusional." Haruka guessed, trying to keep Akira and himself from becoming even more suspicious.

"Let's hope so." Akira mumbled and shrugged off the nagging feeling of being watched. "So," The ginger-haired teenager leaned back against the trunk of the tree and turned his head to the side to look at Haruka, "Do you feel better now that you got to relax like this and clear your head?"

Haruka glanced at the other and smiled a little, nodding. "Yes. Thanks for hanging out with me today, Akira. Despite all that's happened, I'm glad to be able to spend time with just us two and talk about things normally again."

"You're not going to start getting all emotional and girlie, are you? I've had about enough sap from Shirogane already, so I don't need more." Akira said, being indifferent to Haruka's act of thanks. Their friendship was already back to how it was before the incident with Homurabi and the teen was very happy for that. He actually did care for his friend, even though he doesn't normally show it in any sort of sweet way. That's just Akira's personality, after all.

Haruka giggled and moved over closer to Akira. "I won't, I promise."

"Hey, Haruka. What's the deal with you and Kou-nii lately?" Akira asked, immediately seeing the startled reaction from the younger boy at the sudden change of topic.

"W-What do you mean?" Haruka questioned back, not looking at Akira and a faint pink already coming onto his cheeks.

Akira couldn't help but grin at the other's blush. He was well aware that little Haruka had an affection toward the Rei. For some reason, Akira wasn't bothered by it either. Considering how often he turns down Shirogane's playful flirting, you would think that he wouldn't be okay with a romantic relationship between a twenty-five-year old man and an eleven-year-old boy. Strangely though, Akira was fine if his two friends got together. In fact, he felt that they should just kiss and become a couple already. Not that he would ever say that out loud in a million years.

"You don't have to pretend, Haruka. I know that you have a thing for Kou-nii." Akira said, smiling more at Haruka's blush darkening.

"Is it really that obvious?" Haruka asked to his grinning friend and got up the courage to look at him.

Akira snorted and wrapped both of his hands around one of his knees, hugging it close to his chest. "It's as obvious as how dumb Kengo is."

"It's completely obvious then." Haruka responded and quickly covered his mouth, realizing he just insulted Kengo. "Oh, I didn't mean-"

Akira didn't bother to stop from chuckling at Haruka's accidental insult to his blonde friend. The pre-teen started giggling as well and the two friends had a small laughing fit together.

(Shirogane and Kou POV)

"Holy shit, they're laughing." Kou said in alarm and stared at the cute sight of the two boys. "They're laughing, Shirogane! Laughing!"

"Is that a bad thing?" Shirogane questioned, watching along with Kou and smiling. "I think it's rather endearing."

"That's the problem! They shouldn't be acting adorable without us around! I want to make Haru laugh like that…" Kou pouted and let out a pitiful sigh.

Shirogane rolled his eyes at the man acting like more of a child than he does sometimes. "Do you have any idea what they're talking about?"

"Not at all. Whatever it is, Aki and Haru must find it amusing." Kou briefly looked off and said, "If only I was a dog, then I could use my sensitive ears to hear what they're saying."

"Trust me, Kou, you're enough of a dog already." Shirogane stated, not missing the way Kou sent him a glare. "Oh, wait. It looks like the two of them are getting up to leave."

Shirogane and Kou both watched carefully from their current spot and did the best they could not to be noticed.

(Akira and Haruka POV)

"Where should we go now, Akira?" Haruka took a sip of his smoothie as he waited for the teen to get up from his seat on the grass.

"Doesn't matter to me." Akira said and brushed some bits of grass off his orange t-shirt. As the elder glanced up, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "Son of a bitch."

Haruka was momentarily stunned by his friend's swearing, but it faded away and turned into curiosity. "What's wrong?"

Akira narrowed his eyes, placing his hands on his hips, and scoffed. "Looks like we were right after all about being followed."

The younger's eyes widened in surprise. "We are being followed by someone?"

"Not just someone. Two perverted bastards that don't know the meaning of personal space." Akira's eyes narrowed even further, but tore his gaze away from the men hiding behind the vendor's cart where they had been not ten minutes earlier. "I think we may have some easily jealous stalkers, Haruka."

Haruka knit his eyebrows together, still confused. "Who is it?" The boy tried to get in front of Akira and look to see where the people following them were.

The teenager saw that Shirogane briefly looked right in his direction and Akira panicked, not wanting the Rei and the older Shin to figure out they had been caught. His subconscious was beginning to feel it would be fun to prolong this game going on between the four of them.

"Haruka, get down!" Akira exclaimed and reached out, almost jumping on Haruka and pulling the kid down to the ground.

A small shriek came from Haruka and he landed on his back on the grass-covered floor, failing to realize what just happened as of yet.

"Haruka, you okay?" Akira asked to his friend and also not comprehending the (awkward) situation.

Haruka made a small noise of discomfort and blinked open his eyes. "Yeah, I think I'm okay." Haruka's sentence slowly died near the end when he looked straight up to see Akira on top of him.

Akira didn't understand why Haruka had a shocked expression on his face. 'What's up with him? The hell, is that a blush?' When he looked down, he fully understood why Haruka was blushing.

Akira was hovering over Haruka; the younger with his arms resting submissively next to each side of his head, and Akira's own hands placed just beside the boy's arms.

"Oh…" Akira simply said, his face burning bright red as well as Haruka's. 'Fuck, I hope nobody sees this.'

(Shirogane and Kou POV)

"What are they doing now, Kou?" Shirogane asked, while reading a small menu he got from the vendor and contemplated his choice of beverage.

"I don't know, I'll check." Kou took another sip of his own drink he purchased and looked back down to where Akira and Haruka were.

The man couldn't have been mentally prepared in the least to witness the scene going on below.

Doing one those famous "spit takes" and choking on the cold banana strawberry liquid in his mouth, Kou started coughing, all the while unable to take his eyes off Akira and Haruka.

"What the hell is Aki doing to Haru!" Kou yelled, too far shocked to think about the fact that the two young boys could have heard him.

Shirogane glanced away from the menu and looked at Kou. "What are you screaming about?"

"You have eyes, don't you? Look!" Kou yelled again, pointing at the patch of grass only taken up by Akira and Haruka at the moment.

Looking down, Shirogane's eyes almost widened to the size of saucers and he had to hold back a scream. "A-Akira-kun is…"

"Your lover is on top of Haru!" Kou stated the obvious, but both men were completely stunned so much that they couldn't think of more clever things to say.

"It's not possible…" Shirogane quietly, and somewhat in denial, said. Neither Kou or the Shin expected to come across this startling sight.

"Goddamn it! These horny teenage boys and their out of control hormones!" Kou angrily continued spouting out random insults under his breath. "I understand that teenagers Aki's age have a lot of sexual frustration, but they shouldn't take it out on the nearest eleven-year-old boy they see!"

"Oh, and what you want to do to Haruka-kun is any better?" Shirogane was able to bicker with Kou again, despite his brain being utterly boggled at the scene both of them saw.

"I would be gentle with Haru!" Kou defended, determined to win this new argument with the shadow, "Plus, he would totally enjoy it."

"What makes you so sure?" Shirogane inquired again.

"First of all: I'm positive that Haru is super sensitive, since he's never had anyone touch him intimately before. Which is awesome for me, by the way. Secondly: I wouldn't attack him in the middle of a park like Aki is doing." Kou finished, smirking because he thought that he won in the conversation and also due to thinking about touching Haruka made him giddy.

That statement brought Shirogane's mind back on track and he knit his eyebrows together, turning to see the young pair on the grass. "Speaking of that, why would Akira-kun want to molest Haruka-kun out in public? That doesn't strike me as something he would normally do."

"Hormones make you do crazy things, Shirogane." Kou said, getting up from his spot and adjusting his sunglasses.

"What are you doing?" The white-haired Shin looked up at Kou from his seat on the ground, curious about what his companion was thinking.

"I, for one, am not going to sit here and let Aki feel up my beautiful Haru." Kou replied, getting prepared to march down the hill and go up to the boys.

Shirogane reached his arm out and pulled on Kou's sleeve, forcing the man to take a place right beside him. "You can't do that. Are you wanting our cover to be blown already?"

"But-" Kou began his protest when Shirogane refused to hear it.

"We'll just have to stay and keep watching to see what they're going to do." Shirogane tried to calm Kou down and prolong their secret stakeout, also desperately hoping that Akira and Haruka weren't doing what it appeared they were.

"Screw that! I can't let Aki get away with-!" A fresh, new smoothie was shoved a few inches away from Kou's face and stopped him from finishing his sentence.

Shirogane gave Kou a serious look that sent a shiver down the Rei's spine. "Be patient." All that slipped from Shirogane's mouth were those words and it was enough to get Kou to shut up for now.

Taking the drink in his hands, the black-haired man sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine." Kou gave in to the other's command and sipped the beverage, shifting his eyes at Shirogane. "Don't ever do that expression again. Your lipstick made you look even scarier…"

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><p><strong>Man, Kou and Shirogane ultimately fail for being discovered already. XD I decided to make Shirogane and Kou's cover exposed this soon because that way I can have Akira and Haruka tease them more and cause them to squirm. It's just too much fun to torment the semes. OwO <strong>

**Something I want to mention is the anonymous review I got (sorry, I can't remember what name you used at the moment) about a possible lemon or lemons later on in the story. I think they also talked about an Akira x Haruka lemon, which really surprised me. In a good way, though. XD I'll see if I can incorporate a sex scene, but we'll see. I didn't originally plan to make this M rated, so I won't promise that there'll be one yet. However, I am open to writing a lemon for you (anyone else, too) as a separate thing. If you'd like that, then you can message me about it. :) **

**Alright, well, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. Hopefully chapter four will be up not too long from now and feedback is always appreciated. Ciao! **


	4. Author's Note

Hey, readers! I'm so sorry for not updating this story in about...eight months now, if I'm correct. Geez, I didn't realize it's been this long. o_o I had to do an author's note for my other ongoing Monochrome Factor story, so I want to inform the people reading this one of what's happening.

Instead of spending time going into deep detail about it, I'll just tell you that my family's main computer, which I use to write all my fanfics, finally shut down completely. It was infected with this virus for a few months and gradually became worse, limiting my time before it would suddenly shut off. The poor computer is currently sitting behind a door and waiting for my dad to take it to a repair shop. I feel bad for it. ;_;

The upside is that the school I attend sent me one of their computers, free of charge, for homework purposes and I've been using it for almost three months now. It's fantastic to have stable internet access again and I've begun writing new Monochrome Factor fanfics, so it's pretty fun. The only flaw to this situation is that all my previous stories are saved on the dead computer and I can't retrieve them. That includes the chapters for this fanfiction.

Hopefully my dad can magically get the computer on for a few minutes and I'll be allowed to transfer my stories to the school computer. If not, then I'm afraid I'll have to be patient and wait until it's fixed.

So, that's the basic information you should know. I apologize to the followers of this fic and ask for your forgiveness on not updating sooner. Believe me, I want to add more to this story as much as you want to read it. If you still stick with me and look forward to a new chapter, even though it may be a while, I'll love you forever. T^T I always enjoy getting feedback and the kind things you say encourage me to keep writing.

Thanks so much for your understanding and reviews, I greatly appreciate it. I can't set a date for when the next chapter will be out, but I hope to at least post it in January. If you have any questions or comments, then feel free to message me. I'm happy to answer any lingering questions you might have. ^-^

That's all for now and I promise to get back to this story when I'm able. Happy Holidays, by the way! Ciao~


	5. Chapter 4

**Oh my God, how long has it been? I believe it's been well over half a year since this story has gotten a new chapter. Man, I'm really sorry for that. But, I will say that I'm _so_ happy to be back with a new chapter and that I can finally work on this story again. I also thank you guys very much for sticking with me and being super patient, it means a lot. You lovely people deserve gold stars and cookies. **

**I'm quite happy with how this chapter turned out and, while it may not be the crackiest one, I hope you'll still enjoy it. There's a bit of arguing between Shirogane and Kou, Akira and Haruka are totally best friends 5ever, and Akira puts his plan in motion to get revenge on the men in love with them. Kind of. It's a slow process. Anyway, yeah, I'll stop now before I begin to ramble. As always, please excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. :D**

**Series: Monochrome Factor**

**Pairings: Shirogane x Akira, Kou x Haruka, and Akira x Haruka.**

**Warnings: Yaoi/Shounen-ai (boy x boy relationships), Shota (relationships between a young adult man with a young pre-teen or teenage boy), Crack (sounds exactly like what it means: crazy shit happening), Language (mostly from Kou and Akira), and Fluff (knowing me, that will occur at some point). **

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><p>"H-Hey, Akira? Shouldn't we get up now?" Haruka awkwardly questioned, looking side to side briefly and anywhere he could look without having to see Akira's face above him. It was only hard for Haruka to make eye contact with Akira this time because of their current position.<p>

"Shit, sorry!" Akira apologized, practically flinging himself off Haruka and sitting up on the grass.

Haruka sat up as well, now able to look at the elder again. He ran a hand through his hair before deciding to ask, "Um, out of curiosity, why did you attack me?"

"Yeah, right. That." Akira murmured, trying to get over feeling embarrassed. "Remember what I said earlier about us being followed?"

"Yes, I remember." Haruka replied, brushing bits of grass off his sweater vest and listening intently to find out if they had found out who their stalkers were. "What about it?"

"We're being followed by Shirogane and Kou-nii." Akira bluntly stated.

"What?" Haruka blinked in surprise. It took a second for his mind to get over the startling information. "Onii-chan and Shirogane?"

"Yep. They're our stalkers for the day." Akira joked, despite being pissed about that fact and angry about being followed by the ridiculous men.

"How do you know it was them?" Haruka asked inquisitively.

"I can always recognize those two. Shirogane seemed to have on some weird as hell disguise, but I could still tell it was him." Akira informed, taking a quick glance behind him to see if his counterpart was in the same spot as before. "Anyway, that's why I jumped you so suddenly to hide from them and not let them realize we discovered their secret."

"I see." The younger said, curiosity taking over. "I wonder why they've been following us."

"My best guess is that they're jealous of us going out alone together and think we're on a date or something. It seems like a possibility, considering how affectionate they've been with us lately. More than usual, that is." Akira said, pushing his body off the ground and standing up. Reaching a hand out, he questioned, "Want to help me get back at them?"

Haruka knit his eyebrows in confusion, but, nevertheless, clasped hands with his friend and was pulled up. "What do you mean?"

Akira released Haruka's hand and put his own hands on his hips. "Since they couldn't control their childish jealousy, we should tease them a little."

"Tease them? In what way?" Haruka had plenty more questions and went into one of his rare clueless modes, not understanding what the teen meant at all.

"Geez, you can be dense sometimes, Haruka." Akira sighed, putting both his hands on Haruka's shoulders and looking at him. "By tease them, I mean we make them squirm and go crazy. Knowing Shirogane and Kou-nii, they won't hold out for long until giving in."

"So, you think we should do something to rile them up?" The graduate inquired, beginning to comprehend what his companion was getting at. "Should we act friendlier with each other?"

"Even better, we can act as cute as possible and pretend to be on an actual date. It's against my nature and completely out of character to be cute, but it'll be worth it in the end if we're able to convince the perverts to surrender and admit their stalking." Akira grinned, thinking it was a perfect plan and would play out to his and Haruka's advantage.

"That does seem like it might work." Haruka added, strangely enjoying the thought of teasing Kou. "Maybe it will even be sort of fun to 'date' for a while."

"What, are you hoping to date guys in the future?" Akira asked, swinging an arm around Haruka and walking forward with him.

"I'm not opposed to it." Haruka responded, smiling after Akira scoffed at his reply.

~OoOoO~

"Oh, thank goodness. Akira-kun and Haruka-kun are headed somewhere else now." Shirogane sighed happily out of relief, turning his head to look at Kou. "What did I say? I told you that everything would be fine."

"Shut up, Shirogane. You don't have to brag." Kou commanded, shifting his eyes to watch Haruka and Akira walk away. "I'm still pissed about Aki jumping Haru, though. I'll have to tell him off later."

Lowering the golden spectacles that he brought with him before their outing, in order to spy more secretly, Shirogane raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "How exactly do you plan to tell Akira-kun off?"

"Just let him know that only I can get on top of Haru and what-not." The man stated, gesturing for the Shin to hand over the spectacles. "You should scold Aki about it, too."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell him that he can only top you."

Chuckling sweetly, Shirogane pushed a lock of silver hair behind his ear. "The only one that most likely will be getting on top is me."

"If you say so."

Shirogane looked at the Rei in confusion, suspicious about his tone. "Are you trying to tell me something, Kou?"

"Not to be rude, Shirogane, but Aki could probably top you, too." Kou voiced his opinion, rather boldly, examining the spectacles in his hands.

Shirogane merely gaped for a few seconds. "Are you implying that Akira-kun would top me?"

"No, not at all. Well, not completely, anyway. I'm just saying that you could easily be a bottom. I've always thought that. Also, what was up with that time Aki started digging through your coat and you kept moaning when he touched your chest?" Kou questioned, grinning smugly.

"Akira-kun told you about that?" Shirogane asked in alarm, starting to wonder if the teenager had mentioned any other embarrassing moments to Kou.

"Yeah, it was pretty hilarious." The Rei laughed, looking around randomly through the spectacles. "It doesn't matter what I said, okay? If you're going to top Aki or switch roles in bed, then that's totally fine. It's not my sex life."

"Stop talking. This is not something we discuss in public." Shirogane ordered the other, wanting to change to a topic that was less uncomfortable and trying to get Kou to stop embarrassing him.

"You're right. Let's just—Ow! Shit!"

Shirogane turned at the sound of Kou's outburst, the words beginning to form in his mind and ask why he had yelled, but his answer was received right away. Trailing his blue eyes downward, the Shin saw a tiny Pomeranian puppy latched onto Kou's leg.

"Goddamn it, get off!" Kou hissed, attempting to find a way in getting the small canine's teeth to let go of his pant leg without being too loud and attracting attention or hurting the animal. "Oh, my God! This little fucker has super jaws! It's a kokuchi!"

"It's not a kokuchi, Kou. It's simply hyper is all." Shirogane calmly kneeled down, prying the puppy away from the other man's leg with ease and holding it in his gloved hands.

"Careful, Shirogane! You don't know what it's capable of."

Shirogane sent Kou a look saying, "You're an imbecile." He lightly petted the top of the dog's scruffy head, meeting with big brown eyes when the dog looked up at him. "He's quite adorable, actually."

"Adorable? It almost tore my leg off!" Kou exclaimed, crossing his arms together over his chest and glaring at the pup. "Sneaky bastard."

Shirogane rolled his eyes, ignoring Kou, and glanced around the area before looking back at the dog in his hands. "He has a collar, so someone must own him." Checking the green tag on the purple collar of the dog, Shirogane read it carefully. "Hmm. There's no contact information, only his name. It's Joshua."

"No offense, Shirogane, but I don't really care about any of that right now." The Rei expressed his silly anger at the small puppy and also his desire to get back to their mission. "If we don't hurry, we'll lose sight of Haru and Aki."

"But, we can't just leave him."

"Why not? Somebody is bound to help out the mutt, it doesn't need to be us. We can just hand him to somebody else and let them take care of it."

"We're involved now, Kou."

"How?"

"We know the dog's name, we've interacted with him, and, besides, I will not leave a helpless baby animal by itself."

Kou sighed.

"Alright, tell you what. What if you go find a place to have someone hold the dog until its owner returns to get him and I'll keep following after the boys? Call me on my cellphone when you're done and we'll meet up."

The two men agreed on the plan to have Kou continue following Akira and Haruka, while Shirogane would go return the dog. It seemed like the best possible option to them as they parted ways.

~OoOoO~

"Come on. Try saying it again." Haruka pleaded, looking at his friend while they walked together.

"I can't." Akira groaned, sounding a bit defeated. Or perhaps it was irritated.

"It shouldn't be _that _hard to say, right? It's one line, Akira."

Breathing in through his nose deeply, Akira shut his eyes and attempted to say the sentence.

"Haruka, you're cu-"

Nope.

Clutching his head, the teen let out an aggravated yell. "Damn it, I can't say it! Calling you cute is not something I can do! I don't think I've ever called anybody cute in my life!"

Haruka smiled sympathetically at his older friend. He knew it was going to be tough for Akira to act sweet and "lover-like", which was why the boy thought it'd be a good idea for them to start practicing on their way to the mall.

"It's alright, we'll work on it." Haruka reassured, looking in front of him. "Are they still following us?"

Akira glanced behind after hearing Haruka's question to check for any sightings of Shirogane and Kou. "I can't see them from here, but I'm sure they're still somewhere behind us. They're probably keeping a safe distance away."

Haruka made a small noise in response, agreeing. "Hey, Akira?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you like Shirogane?"

"Damn it, I knew you were going to ask that at some point." Akira bent his head back, sighing in annoyance. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious because lately you've seemed to be less angered by Shirogane's flirting." Haruka replied, lifting a hand to fiddle with the loop of his golden earring. "I assumed that was due to you having a crush on him, or at least having some kind of feelings for him."

Akira's smoldering grey eyes narrowed slightly, a blush crawling onto his cheeks. He covered his mouth with his hand and his gaze drifted off. _Has it been that easily noticeable? If Haruka sees a difference in my interaction with Shirogane, then the others must. Well, maybe not Kengo and his sister. Their brains might need a bit of time to latch on. _

"Have you two kissed yet?"

"Wha-!" Akira burst out at the question and stared at Haruka, appalled. "What the hell makes you think I would kiss him?"

"You kissed Shirogane when he turned you into a Shin, didn't you?" The kid questioned. Obviously someone had told Haruka about that occurring for him to know that information. It must have been Kou.

"Okay, that was not my choice. I did not kiss him willingly, _he _kissed _me._" The teen wanted to make sure he cleared up any confusion about their first kiss and also use an excuse to stay in denial. "I would never willingly kiss Shirogane."

"Would you willingly let him kiss you, then?"

"Boy, you sure are a nosy brat." Akira said, very much having the urge to put Haruka in a headlock, like he often did when roughhousing with Kengo. "Let's drop this, alright? I don't want to talk about Shirogane."

"Okay, I'll stop talking about your relationship with him." Haruka promised and glanced ahead, suddenly muttering, "Whoa."

Akira stopped walking at the amazement in Haruka's voice and looked in the same direction, taking in the sight of the giant mall. He hadn't been to this mall in a few years and had forgotten how enormous it was. There were crowds of people everywhere outside the mall doors, hinting at how crowded it must be inside, and stands with vendors selling a variety of items—anything from handmade jewelry to samples of delicious treats.

"It looks entertaining enough." Haruka broke the silence and he began walking again, expecting Akira to follow.

That he did and Akira quickly caught up with the graduate, observing the things happening around him. The smell of freshly baked bread hit their noses and it was a delicious aroma, making them want to try some. The temptation was difficult to resist, but the Shin knew they couldn't give in. Akira leaned closer to Haruka and said, "One important thing we need to remind ourselves is not to blow our money right away. These people will persuade us to buy their stuff and I hope you have the ability to resist."

"I can do that." Haruka felt confident in his abilities and he stopped walking as they reached the front doors of the building, meeting Akira's eyes.

"I'll hold you to your word. If you can't restrain yourself, then expect me to knock some sense into you." Akira warned, grabbing the handle of the door and pulling it open. "Just because I'm taking you on a date doesn't mean I can afford to spend all of my money on you. Got it?"

"I got it." Haruka smiled softly, walking in front of Akira and the pair entering the spacious mall. They began to wonder if their admirers would lose them inside this huge place.

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><p><strong>Yeah, I'm sorry for the ending being kind of bland. I was at a loss for anything clever to say and I wanted it to end with them entering the mall. Despite that, I enjoyed writing this chapter and I feel that things are going smoothly so far. Trust me, hilarious antics and more insane things will happen as this story progresses and I already have a couple scenes planned. Of course, suggestions and requests are absolutely welcome. You want to see some AkiHaru? Kou and Shirogane bickering over stupid things like four-year-olds? Somebody getting a pie shoved in their face? Ask away! I may or may not accept them, but please don't let that stop you from throwing any ideas at me because I would love to hear your thoughts. c: <strong>

**I can't really say when the next chapter will be out, however I'm currently working on a bit of it and I'm determined not to let another seven months go by before an update. All I ask is that you continue being patient with me and reviews or constructive criticism helps motivate me to keep going. I'm lazy and a procrastinator, but support from you wonderful people boosts my confidence and makes me want to get chapters out faster. Really, thank you so much for being such loyal readers and kind people. I would hug all of you and kiss your cute faces if I could. Okay, I suppose I've said what I needed to. You shall hear from me soon and have fun during the rest of Summer!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Greetings, lovely readers! Let me just say right off the bat that I cannot believe it's already nearing four months since I last updated this story. I swear to God it was only a month. Time really does fly, I guess. :l There are some important things you need to know about this chapter:**

**1. It's not a full chapter and pretty much just a mini one.**

**2. I wrote it all in one go at, like, maybe two in the morning. Which means it's not anything that spectacular.**

**My reason for posting this mini chapter is that I don't want to leave you guys hanging for another two months without an update. Knowing me and my ability to procrastinate, it's highly likely that I won't have another complete chapter up until December, or possibly not even until the new year rolls in. My family is currently in the process of moving and the whole moving process has been pretty stressful. Not to mention that I'm cramming in school work in between the packing and that's been chaotic. I just hope that things will calm down and I'll feel less stressed once we're finally moved in. But, yeah, moving and school are my two main reasons for taking such a long time to post chapters of this story. I don't have any plans to stop or give up, though. I'm just slow as a snail at the moment and I appreciate everyone who has been patient with me. You guys are fantastic and you all get gold stars and cookies.**

**Any how, this little mini chapter simply includes some conversations between Akira and Haruka. It takes place shortly after they arrived at the mall and they're in a little cafe or something. I didn't exactly think up the entire scenario. Oh, and Akira acts like a grumpy butt. When isn't he one, though? I hope you enjoy it, despite it being kind of bland.**

**Series: Monochrome Factor**

**Pairing: Kou x Haruka (only implied in this part), Shirogane x Akira (also only implied in this part), and slight Akira x Haruka (actually focused on some AkiHaru this time woo hoo).**

**Warnings: Yaoi/Shounen-ai (boy x boy relationships), Shota (a young adult man with a young pre-teen or teenage boy), fluff (it's deadly, I assure you), and swearing (watch your goddamn mouth, Akira).**

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own Monochrome Factor or its characters. All rights go to the animators and Kairi/Kaili Sorano.**

* * *

><p>Akira lazily set down the plastic-covered trays holding their food and heaved a sigh as he took a seat across from his companion. He muttered in disappointment, "So much for not blowing our money at the start."<p>

Haruka smiled gently, wanting to reassure him. "At least this was fairly cheap. You still have a decent amount of money left."

"Yeah, I guess." The Shin mumbled in disinterest, reaching for his plate and eagerly trying to get a form of sustenance in his stomach. The food court they were in had quite a variety of snacks and meals to buy, which was a pretty nice surprise. Akira got a simple order of Chicken Teriyaki sushi rolls, while Haruka got some avocado and cucumber sushi rolls.

"This actually tastes good." The graduate remarked, taking another bite of sushi and holding a hand in front of his mouth as he chewed. He swallowed before looking back at the other male and asked, "Do you like yours, Akira?"

Akira merely hummed in response, taking his time to figure out what he thought. He nodded slightly, agreeing with the boy. "It's good enough."

Glancing at the younger, Akira was suddenly alerted by something and he said, "Haruka, you have a bit of avocado on your face."

"Do I?" The adolescent questioned, lifting a hand to his cheek.

"Here, I got it." The teenager didn't allow him a chance to refuse and he stretched his arm out, softly gripping Haruka's chin with his index finger and thumb. He used his thumb to wipe the avocado off the corner of the kid's mouth. He reprimanded him, "You, of all people, get food on your face? I expected better."

Haruka flinched at Akira roughly wiping the avocado away, shutting one of his eyes. He defended himself by saying, "I could be worse. I could be like Kengo and not care about millions of crumbs being all over my face."

"True." The older of the pair said simply, retracting his hand and leaving Haruka alone. He leaned back in his chair, sighing once again. Not shockingly, he hadn't gotten any less angry over the predicament he was currently in. He didn't give a damn about Kou-nii stalking them, considering that it was 99.9% likely that he was only focused on Haruka, but Shirogane was a completely different story. Ugh, Shirogane. The rat bastard. Akira never really expected the royal Shin to stoop to Kou's level and act ridiculously jealous. I mean, he was technically stalking him. Freaking _stalking_ him! He could probably put a restraining order on his counterpart, if he damn well pleased. Of course he wouldn't do that, but his anger and irritation made the idea seem appealing. To get to the point of following him because he's spending time with his friend? That was so utterly ridiculous and childish.

"What a jackass." The teen hissed under his breath, arms crossed and staring down at the table top with a glare.

"What?" Haruka asked in confusion, looking at him after he spoke.

"Huh? What?" Akira returned the confusion, unaware he had said his thoughts aloud.

"You were talking about Shirogane, weren't you?" The pre-teen inquired, taking a small bite of a sushi roll.

"Oh, no, I—Sorry, I didn't mean to say that." He explained quietly, trailing off at his words from feeling embarrassed and quickly taking a long sip of his drink as a distraction of sorts. He continued, speaking with the straw in his mouth, "Just rambling to myself about this crappy situation we're stuck in."

"I see." Haruka giggled lightly, looking down at his plate and picking at a stray piece of cucumber with his chopsticks. "I don't exactly feel angered by what Onii-chan and Shirogane are doing, however I definitely think they're being childish. I suppose people can become easily jealous when they're protective of others or when they're dating someone."

"Sure, but this is crazy." The teenager replied almost immediately, resting an arm on the table and leaning forward. "I don't know how protective they are of us and we are the farthest thing from dating them. This is just their crushes getting out of hand or something. That's actually unsettling to think they have major crushes on us, isn't it?"

The graduate shrugged his shoulders in response, admitting, "I don't know. Personally, I kind of like the thought of Onii-chan having a silly little crush on me. Not that it's even possible."

"Oh, trust me, Haruka. It's highly possible." Akira voiced his opinion, chuckling in mock amusement. "Kou-nii has been disgustingly cuddly with you lately and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he's crushing on you. You are his 'beautiful Haru' after all."

Haruka was surprised by his comrade's words and he blushed when he recalled the time of Kou calling him that endearing name. He awkwardly cleared his throat, attempting to ignore his embarrassment, and stated, "Shirogane is clearly fond of you, too. I don't think it's a far-fetched possibility that he has feelings for you. Hasn't he kind of made that clear alrea-"

"Don't even go there, Haruka." The young man warned, stopping the kid from saying more regarding Shirogane and the whole mushy concept of love. He ran a hand through his scruffy hair, looking at Haruka. "Seriously. Since when the hell did you get so nosy?"

Haruka giggled again and confessed, "Well, Onii-chan's personality has kind of rubbed off on me from how much we hang out. I'm sure you don't want to know how often he talks about what you and Shirogane would be like as a couple."

Grimacing, Akira replied flatly, "No, I truly do not."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, lame ending. I wrote this when I got a sudden urge to write and wanted to get this out as soon as possible, but I hope it was enjoyable enough. I'm still not sure when the next chapter will be finished and posted, however I have been slowly working on it when I have the time. As always, thank you guys so much for being patient and staying with me through my lazy slumps. You're absolutely welcome to message me in the meantime with scenes you would like to see or questions you have. Thanks a lot, everyone! See you hopefully soon! <strong>


	7. Author's Note 2

Hey, guys! Hope you're all doing well! I wish I could have posted this earlier and it would have been better if I did, but I haven't exactly had the time since I've been incredibly busy with school these past few months. I'm only entering my second week of Summer Break at the moment. I was drowning in school work, like I often do, and it wasn't exactly difficult work, but there was just so much of it. To start my apology, I'm really sorry that this story is being updated so incredibly slowly. I think it's been that way since the start, but I still feel very bad about it. This story has gotten quite a following and it's so great that people are enjoying it, but that makes me feel even worse about taking forever to update. You guys who are sticking around and being patient with me are just wonderful, okay? Okay. *sends you virtual hugs and kisses*

One thing I want to make clear is that I do not have any plans to drop this story. I promise, I do not. I know from experience what it's like to have an author suddenly drop a story that you really enjoy reading and I don't ever want to end up having to do that. I don't see a reason why I would need to drop one of my stories and I don't have plans to stop writing for this. If that were to happen, I would let you guys know right away. But, it's not likely and I truly want to finish this. I plan to. I love writing for this story, it's just...it is definitely going to be a _slowly_ ongoing story. Very, very slowly. I wish it could be updated with a new chapter every two weeks or so, but I'm afraid that won't be the case. At least not any time soon. I've found that I get a lot of writer's block with this story. I think it might be because I have so many ideas that I want to incorporate, but having so many ideas leaves me stumped. I simply have trouble figuring out when to add in the ideas, if they would make sense, and, honestly speaking, I do not have a perfect image in my mind of where this is going. ireallyshouldhavethoughtthisplotoutmorebeforeistartedwritingandi'mawareofthatiapologizemostdeeply.

I'm making a little bit of progress on new chapters and I suppose that's better than nothing. I really do apologize to anyone who is eagerly waiting for updates and having to deal with me taking a romp through a field of honey when it comes to writing new chapters. ;; I hope that letting you guys know that I don't plan on dropping the story helps a bit, though. This might forever be a slowly ongoing story, but it will absolutely be continued. I shall make sure this story has an end, even if it takes me ages. For reals, it's highly possible that this won't even be over until mid 2015. If that turns out to be the case, you are all welcome to yell at me. *sweats profusely*

But, yeah! I'm sorry that you guys didn't get this update thinga majig until now, however I think it was definitely important for me to explain. Thank you so much for being patient and sticking with me, everyone. I really appreciate it and it's so nice to know that people are enjoying the story. As always, suggestions for the story are most welcome and please feel free to message me if you have questions, or just want to talk. Thank you for all the support. Until next time, friends.


	8. Author's Note 3

Holy cannolis, would you look at who has finally shown her face around here again after a ridiculously long amount of time? I don't even know where to begin, but I want to keep this relatively simple and sweet, so let's start with why I've been gone.

I'm going to be honest and say that the biggest reason why I haven't updated any of my stories in nearly a year is because of school and lack of motivation. That's always been one reason for why I take forever to work on my stories, but a recent development in August of 2014 is the primary reason this time. My computer was stolen. Back in August-September, my family and I were in the process of moving into a new apartment. Our moving truck got stolen one night and we lost a lot of possessions, along with my computer. I was completely devastated and felt like I had lost a part of me. I know how silly it sounds to be so attached to a computer, but it truly was my life. Everything of mine was on there; countless photos, stories, art, etcetera. After helpful and encouraging words from my family, I wasn't as heartbroken. I was reminded that stories can be re-written, even made better the second time around, and that I could start fresh.

I have. I've started fresh. My rarely used laptop wasn't stolen and it's what I'm using now. I've remade all of my icons and gathered tons of new photos and gifs; I really have started over. Unfortunately, every single one of my fan fics were on the computer that was stolen, including the chapters to this one. However, I was so relieved and excited when I found out that a few copies of my stories had been saved on the other computer that my school lent me for homework and such things. It probably sounds like I had a copious amount of computers, but, trust me, it was just three. XD I moved them to the laptop and I feel so happy to know that I managed to salvage at least a few works-in-progress.

Despite leaving you guys without an update for so long, I still really, _really_ do want to continue this. Writing fan fiction is definitely not my main priority and I'm well aware of how terrible I am with being consistent in updating my stories, but I hate the idea of abandoning them. I don't want to leave these works unfinished and left in the dust, especially when I know that so many people enjoy reading them. Your enjoyment of my writing is what makes me want to continue and, even if it doesn't seem like it, I really did put so much effort and thought into my stories when I first started them. It's incredibly sad that I can't experience the same joy that I felt when I first began writing fan fiction and I wish I could be as enthusiastic as I used to be, but it's hard. I started taking college classes back in August and I just turned 18 in January; I'm getting more responsibilities in my life.

So, yes, fan fics are not my priority, but I still enjoy writing. I've always adored writing and it's a great outlet for me. I can't give you a specific time when my stories will continue, but I'm going to try my darnedest to update. I seriously am, I really do want to slowly start getting back into the swing of writing and adding more to these stories. I want them to have closure, I want the opportunity to better my writing, and I want you guys to be able to enjoy them with me.

I know this isn't much of an apology and I should have posted this far earlier, but I just want to thank you guys so much. Even to those who aren't here anymore and gave up on waiting for me because it's been so long. Thank you to everyone who has read my stories over the years and encouraged me, helped me better my writing. Thank you to those who I never spoke to, but who were an avid reader of my stories and enjoyed them. Just, thank you so much for sticking with me and making this such an amazing, fun journey. I really hope that the journey continues, even if it's like we're taking a romp through a field of honey with how slow I am. XD

One thing I can say is that my writing has definitely improved somewhat since I was last here. I've completely gotten a grasp on writing for little Haruka Kujo, and recently I've been getting back into writing for the flirtatious douchenugget, Kou, as well. I might actually post the short drabble I wrote for them, but we'll see. ^-^ Anyways! I've been rambling way too much and have said all I wanted to say, so I'm going to stop here. But, yep! This is me saying that I'm going to make an effort into updating and posting stories again. I really will try, and I hope that you guys look forward to something new from me, whatever that may be. Until next time, lovelies! I hope that you have a beautiful day and please feel free to message me if you have questions or simply want to chat! Bye, bye!


	9. Chapter 6

**wowow How many ages has it been, friends? Finally, after 56754 years, I have arrived with a new chapter. Hallelujah. Granted, it is a very short one, but I figure it's still something. I'd rather post shorter chapters more often than keep you guys waiting longer for one lengthy chapter. Progress is slowly being made, both in the plot itself and with me finally continuing to write for this story again. :'3 I seriously can't thank you enough. Thank you to those who have been so patient and supportive, you're absolutely stellar. I hope you enjoy this little chapter!**

* * *

><p>"Hey! Shirogane!" Kou called, turning his body to face him when he spotted the other man from the corner of his eye. He walked up to meet him half-way and asked, "You returned the dog already? That was fast."<p>

The Shin gave a brief nod, his gaze cast down. "Yes. I did."

"Hey, wait a minute. Why do you look so sad?" His eyebrows furrowed, leaning forward slightly and tilting his head as he examined his companion's solemn expression.

"It's nothing. I just…" He sighed lightly, "I grew quite fond of that creature in the short time we spent together."

"You're kidding." The Rei's puzzled look fell from his face, staring at the other incredulously. "You were with that dog for, like, two minutes—"

"Nevermind that. It's finished. We need to catch up with the boys before they get even further away." He adjusted his hat and brushed past Kou, not allowing the conversation to continue. The puppy, Joshua, was now a sore spot for him and he certainly didn't need to hear any teasing or criticism about the fleeting, but special, bond he had formed with the tiny animal.

The crowd of people in front of the expansive mall was steadily growing larger, making it a bit difficult for the pair to maneuver through. It didn't help that they were in a rush, trying to get inside as quickly as possible. There was a lot of accidentally bumping into strangers, limbs uncomfortably jabbing into other body parts, and irritated murmurs. When they finally stepped foot inside the cool, heavily air-conditioned building, there wasn't even the tiniest ounce of relief.

"What the hell? This place is huge! How are we going to find them?" Kou whined, scanning over the sea of people for a mop of scruffy brown hair or neatly combed silver hair.

"Which is why we shouldn't waste time standing here, complaining. Come, let us at least try searching before we assume that it's hopeless to find them." Shirogane made the first move and led the way, venturing further into the spacious mall with the other male in tow.

* * *

><p>"Are you certain that you don't want one, too, Akira?" The graduate questioned, looking up at his friend beside him before he turned his gaze on the strawberry smoothie in his hands. "It's really delicious."<p>

"No, I'm fine. But, you better enjoy the hell out of it since I bought it for you." He teased lightly, curiously glancing around while they walked past various shops. A shoe shop, a clothing store, a video game store; they were all very tempting to take a look at, but he was determined not to get lured in and wind up blowing all of his money. "Thinking about it, wouldn't it make more sense for you to buy me stuff? You're the spoiled little princess who's totally well-off, not me."

"But, you advised me to hold onto my money and not spend it on frivolous items." Haruka replied, a faint, teasing smile playing at his lips. "However, I would be happy to buy you something. It should be a two-way street, right? I shouldn't be the only one who's being spoiled."

"Yeah, I guess." Akira scoffed, shoving his hands in his pants pockets and ducking his head slightly. "I don't need anything. Besides, you _should_ listen to my advice. You don't want to regret buying a bunch of meaningless crap." A chuckle escaped him, "Though, I guess that wouldn't be a big deal to you since you're rich as hell. You could buy all the pointless stuff you want, without worrying about it. Must be nice."

"Occasionally, yes, it is." The younger male said simply, giggling lightly and taking a sip of his drink. He blinked in mild surprise when flashing lights caught his interest. "Akira, what is that?"

"Hm?" The teen grunted, looking to where the other's attention was focused. Up ahead on their left was a sight that he was very familiar with. He glanced back at Haruka with raised eyebrows, almost surprised by the question. "That? It's an arcade."

"Really? But, it looks different from the one that I went to." He mused aloud, staring at all of the bright, flashing neon lights and able to hear the loud, chaotic noises coming from the machines, even at the distance.

"Ah, you mean the one where we met? That one was pretty shabby and cheap. Kengo and I normally go to ones that look more like this." He nodded toward the area and said, "Come on, you want to check it out?"

"Eh? Oh, um… I don't think that I would do very well. I don't really play games. Well, video games, that is." Haruka admitted, looking over at the arcade somewhat nervously. "Um, do the people tend to get a bit violent?"

"Violent?" He was going to question what that meant, until he saw his friend's nervous gaze. He sighed, "Haruka, if you're worried about some guys picking on you like last time, don't be. Do you think I'm going to tolerate that? You don't need to be scared while I'm here. If somebody tries to mess with you, I'll punch them square in the face." Grasping the younger male's wrist, he urged for him to follow along. "Come on, you can expand beyond boring board games. Even if racing and shooting games don't turn out to be your thing, there are other types. Dance games, for example. How about it? Can the young prodigy dance?"

A small smile crossed the adolescent's features at the question, picking up speed momentarily to match the older male's pace and moving to walk by his side again. "I will not be doing any Disco or Salsa, if that is what you are expecting."

* * *

><p><strong>And there ya have it! It was definitely short and sweet, but I'm just <em>so<em> happy to finally have a new chapter out! Also, I want to give credit to snowblinded for the arcade idea. Waaaay back when I first started this story, they proposed so many fantastic scenarios for this story, one being the puppy. Thank you so much for letting me use your idea and I look forward to writing about Akira and Haruka in the arcade. XD I actually had so much fun writing this and I didn't realize how much I missed this story. I was pretty worried about writing for these characters again since I hadn't done it in forever, but I was pleased to find that I didn't struggle too much with jumping back into them. I hope this was decent enough for everyone! I'll try my hardest to get the next chapter out soon! It won't be right away, but I will post it as soon as I can! Until then, folks! Have a wonderful day! :'D**


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